If members have any photographs (like the ones below),
news items, gossip, or articles that they think would be of
interest to other members, why not get them published
here? Simply email them to:

website@manlocosoc.co.uk

Pictures should be in jpg format as email attachments: text
can be a simple email or an attached Word document. All
contributions will be fully credited.

MEMBERS' MEETINGS

Friday meetings start at 7.30 pm, ending promptly at 9.15
pm.

Wednesday meetings start at 1.00 pm, ending at 2.45 pm.Friday 1st March: The Splendid Years - Part 3 (1966-67).
John Sloane returns to cover BR steam in the North West
during these years (colour presentation).

Friday 15th March: The South in the 1990s. Lee
Stanford returns with another selection of colour slides
featuring diesel, electric and steam traction during these
years. (Steam on the main line and heritage lines).

Useful Links:

Data Protection Notice

Members' personal data will be used by the Manchester
Locomotive Society only for the purposes of administering
the Society and informing you of its activities. The
Society will not disclose any personal information to any
third parties, except where required by law, without your
express consent. By joining the Society, you consent
to receiving the Mancunian, notices of General Meetings,
occasional information regarding special events or outings
and other information of legitimate interest to
members. Should you wish to change the data we hold
for you or opt out of receiving the Society publications or
notices, please inform the Membership Secretary in writing.

SOCIETY NEWS ITEMS

A Mystery Chair

This chair, which has been in the Society's possession for a
considerable length of time, was brought back into view
recently at our headquarters. The chair was certainly
in use when our meetings were held at Sale Station up to the
beginning of the nineties and before we moved to
Stockport. It could very well have been present when
the Society was inaugerated at Manchester Central back in
1935! If that was so, could it's origins be traced
back to before the Grouping?

The front legs of the chair have castors which has led to
speculation that it could have been used in a dining
car, the castors enabling the attendant to wheel the
chair behind the diner, to make the sitting process easier.

Although the leather covering is showing a great deal of
distress, the wooden frame is in excellent condition.
It carries simple but pleasing carvings on the woodwork.

Can anyone shed any light on this fine piece of furniture?

Local Rail and Metrolink News
by Andrew Macfarlane

The Bolton Line Goes Electric
Electric trains began operating in passenger service on
the Bolton line as from Monday 11th February. Only just
over a third of trains are electric pending the
completion of the new power feeder cable from Heyrod
(north of Stalybridge) to Manchester Victoria. A full
electric service should operate from May 2019. Class
319s are now operating the following services via
Bolton: 50% of trains between Manchester Victoria and
Buckshaw Parkway and 33% of trains between Manchester
Airport and Preston (Northern services) and Manchester
Piccadilly and Blackpool North. It has taken 10 years
from when this electrification scheme was first
announced!

Club 55 Offer
The operators of the new Transport for Wales franchise,
Keolis Amey, have said that they do not plan to continue
the Club 55 ticket offer (unfortunately). Trans-Pennine
Express is carrying on with Club 55 but they have not
yet announced when the next offer will
start.

Open Day at Crewe Diesel Depot - Saturday 8th June
This is thought to be the first-ever open day at Crewe
Diesel Depot, now the home of Jeremy Hosking’s
Locomotive Services Limited. The Open Day will be from
09.30 to 16.00 and is being organised by Virgin Trains,
Locomotive Services Ltd and Railway Magazine. There will
be steam, diesel and electric exhibits. A maximum of
5,000 tickets are to be sold (at £12.50 each for adults)
on a first-come, first-served basis. You can buy a
ticket (if there are any left!) online at
https://www.classicmagazines.co.uk/promotion/allchange.
Readers without internet access should call 01507 529529
to obtain tickets or write to: Crewe Open Day Tickets,
Customer Services, Mortons Media Group, Morton Way,
Horncastle, Lincs, LN9 6JR, enclosing a cheque payable
to Mortons Media Group.

Virgin West Coast Franchise
It was announced on 21st December that the Virgin West
Coast franchise had been extended to March 2020.

Manchester United Football Ground Halt
Trains have not run to the halt on match days since
December 2017, allegedly due to a lack of train paths on
the busy corridor through Oxford Road.

Wayfarer Price Increase
The Wayfarer ticket increased in price to £14 adult, £7
child, £9.20 for anyone holding an English National
Concessionary pass and £28 for groups (up to 4 people no
more than 2 of whom are adults) as from 2nd January
2019.

May 2019 Timetable
We are now told that there will be no enhancement to the
train service on the Mid Cheshire Line via Altrincham
from May 2019. Network Rail claims that running more
passenger trains on the line would lead to increased
risk at level crossings.

Industrial Dispute
As you may have heard, an agreement was reached in the
long-running dispute between Northern and the RMT on 6th
February. The strike day timetable still operated on the
following Saturday, 9th February, because there wasn’t
time to change it but services have run normally on
Saturdays from 16th
February.

Sunday Bus Replacements
Trains between Stockport and Chester will be replaced by
buses due to engineering work all day on Sundays 17th
and 24th March.

Brookside Garden Centre Railway has reopened
The miniature railway at the Brookside Garden Centre in
Poynton has reopened with a new operator. There is to be
a Grand Re-Opening Day on Sunday 24th March from 10:00
am to 4:00 pm. Partnering up with Royal Manchester
children’s hospital charity; train rides, live jazz band
performances, vintage fun fair rides, and lots of train
fun will all be available for one day free of charge -
all donations will be collected by The Royal Manchester
children hospital’s very own Humphrey bear &Co.

Metrolink News
A zonal fare system was introduced on Metrolink as from
13th January 2019. From that date it has no longer been
possible to buy Metrolink single or return tickets from
Altrincham station ticket office. Return tickets have
been replaced by day tickets for any combination of
zones and you can now buy 28-day season tickets (as well
as 7-day season tickets) from the station ticket
machines without needing a photocard or a Get Me There
card. The increase in frequency on the Ashton line to
every 6 minutes started as from Monday 28th January
2019. Altrincham to Hale has been announced as a
potential route for a “Pathfinder” tram-train scheme in
Greater Manchester.

MLS Committee Meeting No 737 (January 2019)

The minutes of the above meeting can now be found on the
Members Only section (password required). Click on
Reports.

Same Date.........Same Train? by Ken
Millward

These two photographs were taken on May 5th 1980 on the
occasion of a family day trip to North Wales.
Stopping offat Helsby to photograph the
impressive semaphores, 40038 came by with a fully fitted
empty ballast train (left). Two and a half hours
later what appears to be the same working is seen from the
town walls at Conwy. Because I cannot read the loco
number in the second shot, it's impossible to be certain
whether it is the same train....but it could be!

Trans - Pennine Express Test Working.

68 032 is photographed propelling the
09.38 Carlisle - Manchester International Depot empty
stock trial working through Manchester Oxford Road
station at 13.00 on the 24th January. This was
booked to run Monday - Friday that week in an 'as
required' path, which is included in the winter
timetable, but was cancelled on two days.

Photo and information by Charlie
Hulme.

Older items can be found on theArchive
page.Members' contributions welcome
at: website@manlocosoc.co.uk